I managed to get back online properly on Monday. After months of internet drama, being on and then off again, I now have a reliable connection. Interestingly, the guy who installed the system told me that mine would be the last installation in this town for the moment, so I’m beyond grateful to be reliably back in the online world.
Last night our President announced that we would go into lockdown at midnight on Thursday. Hopefully this will save a whole lot of lives that would have been lost without a quarantine in place here. South Africans are a tactile bunch. As with the rest of the world, fear is abounding, and with the already devastating poverty here, many, many people are only now getting over the freezing in terror moments and thinking of ways to help each other. It is truly wonderful to see petty differences dissolve in this crisis and compassion taking over.
I hope to start loading new Youtube how to videos up again very soon for authors wanting tips on the nuts and bolts of publishing their books, but I’m still open for business for anyone wanting editing, formatting, covers, maps, or children’s illustrations to be done for them. I’m also planning on slipping in a few general chat videos on writing and reading.
I have had a couple of emails from clients wondering what I think will happen in the world of Indie publishing now, and I must say that I have absolutely no clue. It is too early to tell where this pandemic will end. One thing is for sure, during these quarantines, and even beyond as the world counts its losses and people figure out the way forward for themselves as individuals, as nations, and for the planet itself, the world needs both fiction and non-fiction. For escape, for inspiration, for hope, and for instruction. Now is also the time for journaling. A time to record this disaster for future generations. I have a feeling that even if there is a slight lull in sales of books (apart from the prepping guides) once people truly understand the true fallout from this pandemic, after that I believe that there will be a huge demand for quality eBooks, so all I can say is, don’t stop writing. And stay safe.
By the way, most of my books are selling for 99 cents on Kindle Countdown deals at the moment, and the shorts are free, so if you haven’t already read them and need something to do head over to Amazon.
I’m making very good inroads catching up with my emails, but still not all clear there. I want to thank you all from the bottom of my heart for your loving and kind wishes, and I will get to each and every one of you. I’m not quite at warp zoom speed yet, but I’ll get there. I have to get stuck into earning an income from what I do straight away (to avoid the whole camping out under a tree thing), so I’ve had my head down for a while sorting out my website. I’m launching my services now at really low prices to begin with to get a feel for costing, and I’ll adjust them upwards a little later, so grabbing them now even if you only want them for later would be a fabulous idea. I’ve taken down my pre-made book covers page here, and replaced it with three new pages for Illustration, Indie Author Services, and Cover Design & Photography. I’m also going to put the link to my website in a widget in the sidebar here, but just click on the orange link in this paragraph for now if you’d like to have a look at it. While I’m totally confident that I’m good at what I do, I’ve never really charged for doing it before so this first step is quite terrifying, and any support with getting the word around will be very, very much appreciated.
Click on the links to get ideas of pricing, and if samples are needed that will be easily doable. Use the Contact Me form here or on the website if anything piques your interest. Here are a couple of my illustrations for those who don’t like a lot of clicking.
Jo Robinson 